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Sunday, February 28, 2016

THE biggest El Niño phenomenon EVER could threaten the lives of up to 100 MILLION people with wild fires, disease and starvation, according to the United Nations.

The apocalyptic forecasts threatens to throw the world into a violent chaos.

NASA recently warned that the impact of this year's so-called "Godzilla El Niño", a warming of sea temperatures in the Pacific, could be the worst in history.Catastrophic weather this year has already seen dozens of countries around the world declare emergencies while the UN warned at least a million children face agonising starvation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the "unprecedented situation" could devastate the world with severe drought, flooding, heavy rains and scorching temperatures.

The killer record-breaking phenomenon has already unleashed devastating storms in the United States, mudslides in South America and raging wildfires in Australia.

A spokesman for Oxfam said: "The effects of the strongest El Niño in several decades are set to put the world’s humanitarian system under an unprecedented level of strain in 2016."

The weather could even spark all-out war - as scientists from Columbia University recently revealed El Niño "had a role in 21 per cent of all civil conflicts since 1950".

The crisis has already wreaked havoc across Britain, forcing thousands out of their homes after severe flooding.

Health experts fear the weather pattern could now fast-track the spread of the deadly Zika virus, even unleashing it in the UK.

WHO said four million people were at risk of the dangerous virus which has "spread explosively" across South America.

Raman Velayudhan, coordinator of WHO’s Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases, explained: “We could expect more mosquitoes capable of spreading the Zika virus because of expanding and favourable breeding sites due to the weather effects of El Niño."

Other diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and malaria are all also "re-emerging" rapidly around the world.

The UN also warned record-breaking wild fires, "exacerbated by El Niño-related drought," could cause "hazardous air quality" and travel chaos throughout the world.

The global agency said Central America faces "the most severe drought in history" while South America has underwent "the worst flooding in half a century".

Severe droughts and floods in the world have also ruined harvests in Africa leaving nearly 100 million people in danger of food and water shortages.

Ethiopia faces its worst drought in 50 years, with 10 million people in need of food aid amid a catastrophe worse than the haunting 1984 famine.

The UN has urgently called for more £1billion in aid for the country, warning food could run out by the end of April.

Countries including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Malawi have all suffered their driest season in the last 35 years - and aid agencies fear more countries could follow.

The UN called the crisis a "disaster in the making" which will take years to recover from.

John Aylieff, from the UN World Food Program, said: "We're on a cliff's edge. If we can't sustain the food supply we will be seeing a dramatic rise in acute malnutrition."

Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala, UNICEF's regional director for eastern and southern Africa, added: "The El Niño weather phenomenon will wane, but the cost to children — many who were already living hand-to-mouth — will be felt for years to come.

"Governments are responding with available resources, but this is an unprecedented situation. Children's survival is dependent on action taken today.

“Almost 1 million children are in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition in eastern and southern Africa.

"Two years of erratic rain and drought have combined with one of the most powerful El Niño events in 50 years to wreak havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable children."

Jane Cocking, Oxfam GB’s humanitarian director even admitted it was "too late" to avoid a major humanitarian disaster.

Britain's development minister said: “If we fail to act now against this especially powerful El Niño, we will fail vulnerable people across our world. We are looking at people not having enough to eat at last until 2017."

Environmental workers have also warned that 500 million people will also be put at risk in the future from the bizarre weather now.

El Nino has taken its toll on coral reefs in the world's biggest-ever wipe-out of the ecosystems responsible for more than 4,000 fish species and £20billion to the world economies.